Justice's Wingman & Her Mute Cousin
by iamsolarflare
Summary: It's 2025, and things are looking pretty grim without Phoenix Wright. Luckily for the courts, a dynamic duo have taken up opposite sides of the stand and are ready to make a difference. Of course, though, this is the Dark Age of the Law and some pretty underhanded things are going on... Things that may land these young lawyers in deep, deep trouble.
1. A Disabled Turnabout - Part 1

**((Welcome to my very first attempt at an Ace Attorney fic! Taking place in between T&T and AJ, you're going to find a whole lot of original characters mixed in with some familiar ones... I'm excited about this project, so read on!))**

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><p><strong>Case One: A Disabled Turnabout<strong>

**Part 1 - Trial I**

**1:57 pm, January 5th, 2025**

**City Courthouse**

**Defense Lobby #3**

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><p>"He says, 'You can get me off these charges, right?'"<p>

I nod, hoping I look sufficiently confident. There aren't a lot of defense attorneys out there that'd want to take on a supposed manslaughter as their first case, and even less who are still teenage, but with Wright gone I figured someone had to do something.

"Yeh, just you wait. It's gonna be at least quartz-clear soon as the prosecution brings up the reason for the charges."

The translator turns to my client, and there's a blur of movement as he spells out my words to the man.

They're both of fairly young age, and they look near identical in the suits they're wearing. The only difference I can really see between them is that my client, James Tarrigan, is wearing a red tie and looks nervous, while his interpreter and brother, Matthew Tarrigan, is confidently looking from me to his brother and back.

"He says, 'Quartz isn't as clear as glass.' If I may agree, it WAS a rather odd metaphor to choose."

Oh, forgot to mention. James Tarrigan needs a translator for a pretty simple reason - he's deaf, and his lip-reading is inconsistent..

I shrug and straighten my sunglasses. "Cases should never be crystal clear at their very beginning, and if they are then they almost certainly are magnifying one thing and obscuring another important detail. Do you understand, Mr. Tarrigan?

The translator relays the message, and both brothers nod. Matthew Tarrigan looks at me with a bit of a smile on his face, the first I've seen from him, and adds in a low undertone the following words:

"What do you call yourself, Mr Hac-"

"Please, Mr. Tarrigan, call me Facade." I hold up a hand slightly. "I'd rather nobody associate me with THAT trial, if you can understand."

"Quite right. As I was saying, Mr. Facade, you call yourself Justice's Wingman, do you not?"

I smile at the mention of the nickname. "Yes, yes I do."

"Then I can speak for both my brother and I when I say that I'm fully confident you'll get the true culprit a fine date with Lady Justice."

He gives me an odd smile. I'm not sure what to make of the expression, but I grin at the two brothers and straighten up, attorney's badge glinting on a chain around my neck.

"Come on then, Misters Tarrigan, we've got some, well, matchmaking to do."

1:59 pm. Time to start this trial.

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><p><strong>2:00 pm, January 5th<strong>

**City Courthouse**

**Courtroom #3**

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><p>"Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. James Harrigan, no, sorry, Tarrigan."<p>

The judge awkwardly pushes a pair of reading glasses onto his nose in an effort to look smart, then promptly drops them on the ground. "Prosecutor, ah, GC, if you could possibly summarize the crime for us in your opening statement?"

Prosecutor Tina "GC" Pine, a girl with black hair, red glasses, and gauntlets on her arms, signs out her opening statements, and the gadgets on her wrists begin to speak in place of her actual speech.

It's her first day here as well, and I'd wager that her disability - she's mute - is making her even more nervous than I am now. But I've got to get this trial done even if it upsets her, because my instincts are telling me that James is innocent.

"THE CRIME TOOK PLACE ON JANUARY SECOND, 4:30 PM, AT THEIR FATHER'S ESTATE." Her speech synthesisers echo in the near silence of the room, giving the place an oddly futuristic feel despite the warm brown wood of the room.

"MR. CALVIN TARRIGAN IS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MAN, AS MAY BE WELL KNOWN. SINCE HE WAS KILLED THERE, HOWEVER, I HIGHLY DOUBT THAT HE WILL CONTINUE MAKING MONEY."

There's a laugh from somewhere behind GC. Her morbid sense of humor comes out at the oddest times - it's a testament to her wit that she still makes people laugh.

"ACCORDING TO POLICE INVESTIGATION, THE SCENE OF THE CRIME WAS THE LARGE MEETING ROOM ON THE ESTATE. TIME OF DEATH WAS AROUND 4:30 TO 4:40. IF THE AUTOPSY REPORT IS CORRECT, WHICH IT USUALLY IS..."

Another chuckle. In the brief pause, I pick up my copy of the autopsy and write a summary in my Court Record.

Looks like GC's about to announce the murder weapon. I'm pretty sure what she's going to say next is...

"...THEN THE MURDER WEAPON WAS THE TABLE ITSELF. THIS IS HIGHLY UNFORTUNATE, SINCE WE LACK DECISIVE FINGERPRINTS."

Yup. I take the picture of the stained table edge and write a note in the blank part: _The murder "weapon". The table is often used by many people, therefore any and all fingerprints on its surface cannot be decisive._

"HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE A WITNESS TO THE CRIME..."

GC pauses as if for dramatic effect, and the judge clears his throat.

"Miss GC, if you could please call this witness? And also turn down the volume on your, er, whatever-they-ares?

"CERTAINLY. THE PROSecution calls Miss Kiana Leed, one of the estate's maids, to the stand at this time." As she speaks, she twists a dial on her left gauntlet and the volume goes down. The courtroom sounds empty without the fake voice ringing around it, but maybe it's just me.

"Miss Leed, could you please take the stand and explain what you saw? But, well, your name and occupation first..."

Kiana Leed is short and skinny, about 25 if I had to guess, red-haired and blue-eyed and VERY nervous-looking. She twiddles her thumbs as she speaks and corrects herself often.

"My name is Kiana Leed... I'm a raid, um, maid, at the estate of Tarrigan Senior."

"I've been working with the Harri, um, Tarrigans for one, um, two months now. Two, um, three days ago, I entered the conference room and saw something really hairy, um, scary."

She takes a deep breath and continues. "Mr. Cordon, um, Calvin, was slumped over the table, and one of the sisters, um, brothers, was sorta looking at his hands like "what did I do". I didn't see the other one, but I'm pretty sure it was Matt, um, James..."

She trails off, earning a frown from me. Time to get to the (obvious) problem with the testimony.

"Mr., er, Facade? Your cross-examination?"

"With pleasure. Miss Leed, please repeat your previous statements so I can perform a proper examination?"

Leed nods and begins to repeat her words. I wait through her bumbling story patiently until that last statement comes around...

"I didn't see the other one, but I'm pretty sure it was James..."

"Hang on a SECOND! How do you know it was him, and how do you know if he actually killed Tarrigan Senior!?"

Leed bites her lip. "That's a long one, can I have another money test, um, testimony?"

I look over to GC, who gives me a wide grin. That's never a good sign...

"Yes you may. Miss Leed, please explain how you knew it was James."

The judge bangs his gavel.

"Well, I just had this peeling, um, feeling. Also, I've heard Mr. Tarrigan talk to Mr. James, and a lot of the time he's not very rice, um, nice. So he would've had a motive... And I don't want to accuse either of them, but the thing is... The incinerator was used the night of the lime, um, crime, but both brothers used it. Whoever killed Mr. Tarrigan must have burned their clothes in hair, um, there."

GC presses a button on her wrist, flicks her arm, and silently throws a photo at me - a small, bright orange, incinerator surrounded by ash.

I look at the photo, rub the indent on my forehead it left, then scribble a note on the fiery thing for the Court Record: _Both brothers have their fingerprints on it. The killer probably burned his bloodstained clothing with this._

"Defense, your cross-examination?"

"Sure thing... Now, Miss Leed, you said you 'just had this feeling' it was James. Could you elaborate on this feeling?"

Leed bites her lip. "The brothers are pretty similar, so it wasn't water, um, posture. I guess it was the ham, um, hand gesture that made me think it was James, because he does all those hand rhymes, um, signs all the time."

GC's voice emulator shouts at a low volume. "HOLD IT! That statement is vital to this case and I demand it replace the first vague statement made!"

"Not so!" I snap back quickly. "It's merely a clarification; after manslaughter nearly anyone would look at their hands that way. However..." I turn to look at GC and return her 'gonna kick your butt regardless' grin. "...If the prosecutor still wishes to have the statement added, I have no problems provided my ability to press the resulting statement remains intact."

"Then we are agreed," the judge declares. "Miss Leed, please amend your last statement. Defense, I understand you'd like more info on it?"

"Witness, are you sure there was nothing else that made you think it was my client?"

"Yeah. There was just one other thing..." Leed continues to her next sentence, and I stop her again, slamming my palms onto the desk.

"WAIT! Exactly what kinds of criticisms are these attacks?"

"Oh, um, usually they're about how their investments are going frown, um, down, but sometimes it's personal attacks. Usually not. I brought the stats from the meeting though, can the sheriff, um, bailiff, please pass them out?"

The bailiff, a tough-looking old lady, hands out the papers silently.

I glance at the paper. on which multi-colored numbers were arranged in odd formations, then write down an analysis of it for my record:_ A sheet of numbers showing the finances of the deceased. There are a lot of red parts, which is probably not good._

GC smiles at Kiana Leed. "Witness, you've helped a lot. Thank you. At this time, I will allow the defense to call a witness, and if not, I will call one myself."

I give her my most evenly blank look. "At this time, I have no witnesses I wish to call."

"In that case, the prosecution calls the defendant, James Tarrigan, to the stand."

Oh great. I fell right into THAT one.

James Tarrigan takes the stand, and his brother sits beside him calmly.

"Name and occupation?"

Hand movements and the clearing of a throat.

"James Tarrigan, this is my twin and interpreter Matthew. We work with the stock market."

"If you could possibly tell your account of what happened?"

James nods, makes another sign, and Matthew relays the message. "Certainly."

"We were there with our father for a meeting about the finances. As you can see from the paper Miss Leed handed out, they weren't good. My father appeared to start screaming, but as I'm deaf, I couldn't hear him. Matthew explained that he was ranting about how badly we were doing. Then my father turned to Matthew and began screaming at him, I guess. Matthew just leaned back a little and fumbled with something in his pocket."

"Defense, proceed with your cross-examination."

"Okay. Now you said you couldn't hear him. This is out of pure curiosity, but can you read lips?"

James shrugs and begins to sign. "Not when somebody is far away, like the judge, or yelling, like my father was."

GC looks over at me. "Are you satisfied, or should we have that written down as evidence?"

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Actually, I'll be writing down those two statements."

I grab a small sticky note and write down the two most vital things from James I've heard so far, summarized:_ James could neither hear nor understand his father's abusive rants._

James continues his testimony, and I listen to the final point...

"Hang on a SECOND! What was this object?"

GC glares at me this time. "It's unimportant what the object is. The point is, we have established motive and means. Now all we need is a decisive piece of evidence."

The courtroom begins to murmur, and I gulp. Not good.

"WAIT! We haven't established whether the defendant has an alibi yet!"

James signs something hurriedly, and Matthew translates it. "I was in the bathroom at the time of the murder. Unfortunately, I believe the nature of my alibi makes it hard to prove..."

James hangs his head as he exits the court, and another man runs right past him...

"HOLD IT! Miss GC, I found the evidence you were looking for, and you won't BELIEVE what it is!"

To my surprise, GC looks down at Gumshoe and shakes her head slowly. "Are there fingerprints on it?"

Gumshoe nods. "That's right, pal. A bunch of them."

GC glares at him and turns up the volume on her gauntlets. "AND WERE THEY ANALYZED!?"

"Uh, sorry, pal, I forgot that part. Lemme go down to the precinct and get 'em checked. In the meantime, uh..."

"The defense requests a five-minute break, Your Honor. For the detective's sake and everyone else's. First, though, what is THIS object?"

Gumshoe grins. "It's a tie pin, pal. Found right near the body, and guess what! The father was already wearing one. This belongs to the killer!"

I note the tie pin in the Court Record grimly:_ Found near the dead body. Unidentified fingerprints are all over it._

The judge nods at me. "At this time, the court will take a five-minute recess while Gumshoe prepares the evidence."

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><p><strong>((What's going on? Is our new hero about to lose his very first trial, or can he turn it around? How does he know GC? Who even did it?<strong>

**Don't worry, because the next installment will be coming up very soon.****))**


	2. A Disabled Turnabout - Part 2

**((Another day, another trial! Who did it? Well, you can read below to find out. Enjoy!))**

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><p><strong>Part 2 - Trial II<strong>

**3:27 pm, January 5th**

**City Courthouse**

**Defense Lobby #3**

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><p>"It's not looking good," I mutter under my breath, pacing the floor. "Not looking good at all."<p>

Matthew taps me on the shoulder with a nervous smile. "Mr. Facade, you've forgotten to call a witness to the stand."

"Wha-! Oh, good idea... and come to think of it, the perfect way to eliminate your brother's motive... though I'll have to find another suspect..."

Maybe, just maybe, I can pull off a turnabout. Five minutes are up... Time to begin the games. I straighten my glasses and stride back into the courtroom.

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><p><strong>3:32 pm, January 5th<strong>

**City Courthouse**

**Courtroom #3**

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><p>"The detective has not arrived yet... Defense, any other requests?"<p>

I smile across the desk at GC. "At this time, the defense would like to call a vital witness we've overlooked to the stand."

The judge frowns. "How long will this take? We can't have more delays, or I'll miss my lunch. Or rather, my dinner."

"Not long at all, Your Honor. After all, the witness is already in this very courtroom... At this time the defense calls the defendant's interpreter to the stand!"

GC slams her desk. "What in the... WHY WAS HE NOT INCLUDED AS A WITNESS BEFORE!?"

I shrug. "I believe we've simply overlooked him, as this court occasionally does."

Matthew takes the stand calmly.

"Witness, your name and occupation?"

"Matthew Tarrigan, interpreter and stock-market investor."

I grin over at GC. "Mr. Tarrigan? Your testimony... your version of the meeting's events...?"

"We had met as usual for business, and my father didn't seem very happy. As the meeting went on, he became more and more aggravated, screaming at the both of us. I translated only some of it for my brother, as the rest was mainly insults. At the end of the meeting, James told me he was going to the bathroom and left. I'm afraid that his motive still stands, though..."

I wait until his last statement to yell out what's been on my mind ever since the "motive" was established.

"OBJECTION! Throughout this entire trial, we've been assuming James snapped and killed his father, correct?"

GC frowns. "Yes, because his father had been yelling insults at him."

"AHA! You've said it yourself, GC... HE HAS NO MOTIVE!"

"What!?" She twists the volume dial. "HOW DOES HE HAVE NO MOTIVE!?"

"Your Honor, the defendant... IS DEAF! He wouldn't have been able to HEAR any of the insults!"

The court breaks out into excited murmurs. I've done it - my first trial and my first turnabout.

GC frowns again, glaring at me. "And what of his ability to lip-read?"

"I direct the court back to his testimony earlier. If you recall, his statement on his ability to do so went something like this: 'I can't when somebody is far away, like the judge, or yelling, like my father was.' You see? HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THEM!"

"What about the translator?" GC's emulator is emotionless, but her face is breaking out in a cold sweat.

"He, too, gave us an answer... 'I translated only some of it for my brother, as the rest was mainly insults.' Again, no insults, no motive. Therefore... my client is innocent!"

Matthew is fidgeting on the stand - I think he's realized what I'm about to ask him for.

"Matthew Tarrigan... Let's hear your alibi."

"A-alibi?"

"Yes. As a witness, you're also a suspect. Kiana had an alibi established even before the court came into session. We haven't heard one from you, though."

"Well, you see, James went off to the bathroom, and I went off to burn some of my old clothing and a couple of rags, too. You can see that the incinerator was used. That's my alibi."

"Hang on a SECOND! Mr. Tarrigan... this proves nothing! If you were the killer, as I'm starting to suspect... wouldn't you have burned your clothing anyways?"

Matthew begins to sweat. "True, but..."

"Do you have proof that you didn't kill him?"

"No, but..."

"Then I ask the court to entertain the possibility that it was you, not your brother, who killed Tarrigan Senior!"

"H-how!? Why!?"

"Simple. It's obvious you have a great deal of compassion for your twin. It can be seen by the fact that you're wherever he is, helping his statements to be understood. And your father's daily rants must have ticked you off... I'll bet he said something in that meeting... something that just crossed the line. You pushed him, didn't you? And he fell into the table and broke his neck!"

"P-proof!"

"Your Honor, GC, courtroom, look at their ties."

The judge frowns. "I don't understand, Mr. Facade. What are you saying?"

"Simplicity itself. James Tarrigan is wearing a tie pin, while Matthew... IS NOT!"

"I lost it!"

"Precisely, it was when you killed him that it went missing! May I remind the court that a tie pin WITH UNIDENTIFIED FINGERPRINTS was found at the scene of the crime!?"

"H-how in the...?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tarrigan. Any second now, Gumshoe is going to come in and announce nervously that the fingerprints on the tie pin... are yours. You might as well confess now... that you killed Calvin Tarrigan in a fit of rage."

"GAH!" Matthew slams his hands on the table and turns away.

"Mr. Tarrigan?"

He's muttering something under his breath but still not facing us.

"Mr. Tarrigan. Either a better alibi or a confession is warranted at this point."

He sighs deeply. "All right. It was me."

He turns back around after his declaration, looking even calmer than he was before the trial, rubbing his head with one hand. "After the meeting, my father called me back into the room and began to yell. He was talking all about how we were completely useless and couldn't do anything, how I could have been a someone but chose to help my 'worthless' brother instead... And I lost it. I pushed him, and he tripped and fell into the table. That's all. I didn't think anyone would figure it out... But I guess I went to far protecting my brother, didn't I?"

A single tear runs down his left cheek as he signs something to James. I'm no expert in sign language, but I can guess that it's "I'm sorry."

"Uh..." Gumshoe is standing in the doorway awkwardly. "Miss GC, they're not James' prints, they're... Oh. He's already confessed. Okay then." He turns again. "Um, I'm gonna leave now, pals... I don't think you need my help here."

GC rubs her temples. "Your Honor, could you please hurry up and deliver a verdict?"

"It really is more of a formality at this point, but I hereby declare Mr. James Tarrigan..."

"...Not Guilty."

In my mind, confetti falls to the ground. The judge has one more thing to say.

"Miss GC and Mr. Facade... That was the best trial I've seen in ages. You youngsters just get smarter and smarter... How old even are you?"

GC smiles warmly for once and signs a few numbers. "Fifteen, Your Honor, fifteen."

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><p><strong>3:51 pm, January 5th<strong>

**City Courthouse**

**Defense Lobby #3**

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><p>GC is standing in the defense lobby by the time I get there, but I'm unsurprised.<p>

"Another date set up with Justice? You make a good wingman." The speech synthesizers make her sound sarcastic, but the smile on her face is nothing if not sincere. "Well done."

She slides off the gauntlets on her arms, hands them silently to my client, and holds up a piece of paper on which is written the following: _I believe you need these more than me. They'll translate your hand signs into words so you won't need an interpreter, and they have a function that turns words into text on that screen. Handy, to say the least. And don't worry about me - I'm only mute and Cody has been meaning to redesign some for me anyways._

Mr. Tarrigan slides the gauntlets on and signs at us. "I can really keep these?"

"Yes" is the unanimous reply.

"And you two know each other?"

I smile over at GC slightly. "I'm not sure if I could have got you innocent without Tina's help. She's a good prosecutor, a better partner, and if I'm Justice's Wingman, then, well, she's Justice's Mute Cousin, essentially."

Mr. Tarrigan reads the gauntlet, looks up, and smiles. "I owe the both of you my most heartfelt thanks. I wasn't sure about you at first, but you really are skilled for teens, aren't you? Good luck in the future."

He smiles at us and walks away, and I turn to GC. "That's it. The Blind Truth Agency is now open for business, and dinner is on me."

She scribbles something on a pad of paper._ The Wrights used to get hamburgers._

"Hamburgers it is then."

We turn away from the court and walk back, side by side, a prosecutor and defense attorney, a mute girl and nerdy boy, Justice's Wingman and Her Mute Cousin.

**End Of Case One**

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><p><strong>((Aaaand that's it for Disabled Turnabout. Did you like the ending? (whispers: <strong>**_probablynot_****)**

**Next chapter, Agatha Christie would either be proud or highly annoyed, and... Every. Single. Witness. Lies.**

**Also, Gumshoe and Maggey!**

**Tune in next time... For ****_Seeing Turnabouts_****!))**


	3. Seeing Turnabouts - Part 1

**((They're back, and ready to roll! Enjoy the first real case Blind Justice takes on - oh, and it's a doozy too.))**

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><p><strong>Case Two: Seeing Turnabouts<strong>

**Part 1 - Investigation I**

**9:28 am, February 9th**

**Blind Truth Agency**

**Facade's Office**

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><p>"GC, no."<p>

_Come on, it's about time we did something fitting our age, right?_ She's still using a pad of paper, as I haven't finished her new gauntlets yet.

"It's, ugh, no, we are NOT going to Global Theme Park just to ride the roller coasters."

She scribbles down another note and shoves it in my face. _I'll even go to the Steel Samurai show without complaining. They opened a new coaster, we HAVE to go before the line gets long._

"Hey, that's bribery. No pulling out the Steel Samurai card unless I mention it," I grumble. Ever since I admitted I like the show, GC's been on me about it. It drives me nuts.

_Aaaaaand your camera needs some use. Put in some new pictures, okay? We are going and if you really have THAT much of a problem, I'm paying._

"Usually your idea of 'I'm paying' comes with Tender Lender levels of interest, GC."

_Not this time. Let's just go already!_

"Give me one more reason."

GC taps her mechanical pencil to her forehead, then grins wickedly and writes down another passage. _I heard that Detective Dick Gumshoe's going on the new coaster with a friend. And I've heard he screams like a girl._

"...Dang it, GC. You win. Let me grab my coat."

_Why do you need a coat?_

"It. Is. February. And. Freezing. Why do you NOT need a coat!?"

GC snorts. _I grew up in the Northeast. It's balmy out there._

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><p><strong>10:00 am, February 9th<strong>

**Global Theme Park**

**Magistrate's Plunge**

* * *

><p><em>It's Steel Samurai themed. I should have guessed.<em> GC snorts as she passes me a note, and I roll my eyes back at her.

"So what? Maybe we'll get to see Miles Edgeworth, since rumor has it he's a closet fan of the show."

_Cody, "closet fans" don't usually go to public fandom events. And I don't think he's a roller coaster type of person either._

I sigh. "Fine. Now let's stand in this ridiculously long line and freeze to death, shall we?"

GC elbows me in the ribs and passes me another note._ Hey, look. It's Gumshoe and his giiiirlfriend._

"Hey, pals! Didn't expect to see you two here. I guess you're going on the roller coaster too, huh?" He notices us and turns around, waving widely.

I nod at him with a small smile on my face. "That we are. I'm going to take a guess... An overly enthusiastic member of the opposite gender dragged you out in this cold weather as well."

"Uh... Yeah! She did! Nice guess, pal!"

I shrug. "Where is she?"

"Sir, who're they?" I jump slightly as a powerfully cheery voice cuts through the crowd's dull roar.

"Oh, uh, they're a couple of lawyers," Gumshoe grins at us. "Prosecutor GC, Facade, this is Maggey Byrde, the best darned police officer our force has ever seen."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Byrde." I nod at her, smiling slightly. "I take it you're a fan of roller coasters?"

She grins. "Yep! Though considering my luck, maybe I shouldn't be... But who cares? I love them!"

Gumshoe smiles slightly. "Although, to be honest, I'm not much of a fan myself... Facade, you look familiar. Have we met?"

I shrug. "Maybe."

We have. I was a witness in a case he was investigating. A KEY witness, too. But I don't like talking about it.

He scratches the back of his head. "Yeah, pal, I guess. My memory's kinda going. Maybe we ran into each other somewhere."

I nod again. "Like I said, maybe. Are we riding a roller coaster or not?"

GC elbows me and points at the line, which is almost nonexistent ahead of us. _Yes, we are indeed._

* * *

><p><strong>10:15 am, February 9th<strong>

**Global Theme Park**

**Samurai Eats**

* * *

><p>GC scrawls a message on her hamburger bun with ketchup: <em>Lunch is on me.<em>

Maggey grins at her and salutes. "Don't worry about it, I'll pay you back somehow!"

I shrug, finish my mouthful of corn dog, and smile back at her. "Nah, it's fine. GC gets into these rare moods of being generous. Take it while it lasts."

She elbows me, HARD, and I wince. "Ow! It's true, though!"

I take another bite of the corn dog and watch everyone else eat.

GC has ordered another hamburger and is carefully scrawling the sign for Libra on top in ketchup and mustard. This is typical, whenever she can she draws this sign. It's part of who she is and part of her biggest fandom as well.

Gumshoe eats quietly and quickly, taking alternating bites of coleslaw and macaroni and cheese. He eats surprisingly neatly considering his messy appearance - he must be one of those people you can't judge by their "covers". He hasn't said a word since we began eating.

Maggey is still studying the menu, her brow furrowed in concentration, but after a few seconds she puts it down, shows it to GC, and taps an item. "Miss? Is it okay if I try this?"

GC squints at the menu, then nods. _Of course. Though if you can't finish, share with the good detective over here._

Maggey waves over at the waiter. "Um, sir? I'm gonna try the Samurai's Showdown?"

"You are?" The waiter looks at her curiously. "Are you sure, ma'am?"

She grins. "Yep!"

The waiter sighs, walks over to the counter, and then places her order. Five minutes later, a man comes over to our table holding a microphone.

"Folks, we have someone taking on THE Samurai's Showdown challenge. Miss! What's your name?" He tilts the microphone towards Maggey, who grabs it from him.

"I'm Maggey Byrde, sir, and I can't wait to give it my best shot!"

"All right, Maggey. Do you know the rules?"

"Three hot dogs, three corn dogs, two hamburgers, a side of coleslaw, a side of mac and cheese to be eaten in half an hour, sir! No sharing allowed unless I want to give up!"

"And the prize?"

"A pass allowing the user to get any food in the park free for the rest of the day!"

"Correct! Here comes the food, Maggey... Ready! Set! Go!"

I watch as she tears into the first corn dog rapidly.

"Wow! What a start! She's into the first corn dog and it's almost halfway gone in one bite! Careful there, miss, don't eat the stick!"

"Second dog and she hasn't slowed down at all... No, I think she's speeding up! That's the third one down... Corn dogs finished!"

"She's into her first hamburger, and it looks like she's not even bothering to put condiments on it! That's dedication, folks! She's taking a drink now... Back to the burger! It is GONE!"

"Second burger. She's taking this one a tiny bit slower... No, no, she was building up steam. Bye bye burger!"

"She's face deep in the mac now, and Miss Maggey is just STARTING to slow down! I'm getting hungry just watching her fly through all that food! What an amazing stomach she must have!"

"She's on the hot dogs, the second to last section! She is definitely taking it slower, though. Hope she's not getting full, because that coleslaw still awaits!"

"Second hot dog. She seems to be wondering whether or not to eat the bun - the answer is yes, you have to. Sorry, Miss Maggey."

"The third hot dog is finally down the hatch, along with a large gulp of water! Five minutes left - are you going to eat the coleslaw?"

"...WHOA! She's just tearing into that cabbage all of a sudden, where did THAT energy come from!? This... this is simply astounding! I think she's gonna finish - DONE!"

"Just in time. Maggey Byrde, congratulations! You've won the Samurai's Showdown, and free food for your entire party, for the rest of your day! En-JOY!"

Everyone in the restaurant cheers, our party loudest of all, and even though GC can't actually "speak" at the moment, she claps louder than everyone else.

What a moment and what a silly triumph, I think, fully satisfied.

* * *

><p><strong>9:02 pm, February 9th<strong>

**Blind Truth Agency**

**Facade's Room**

* * *

><p>The phone rings as I'm about to fall asleep, and I jerk awake at the sound.<p>

"Pal! We've got problems on our hands, two big ones!" Gumshoe's panicked voice rings through the phone. I turn it onto speaker; hopefully GC will wake up too at his yell.

"Detective, what is it?"

"Well, first off, Maggey has food poisoning, but there's been a murder!"

"A... A murder!? Where?"

"At Global Theme Parks, pal! You'd better get over there right away, I called you guys as soon as I knew! I... I need to stay with Maggey!"

GC, fully dressed and wearing a new pair of gauntlets, grabs my shoulder. "WE'LL BE THere right away!"

I hang up the phone and GC drags me to my feet. "Good, you still have your clothes on? Grab that camera! Move move move, Blind Truth has another case!"

I readjust my goggles so they stop falling over my eyes, grab my digital camera, and nod. "Let's do this investigation thing."

* * *

><p><strong>((Oh snap, is Maggey going to be okay? And even more importantly, is this murder going to be pinned on her AGAIN?))<strong>

**((WHO KNOWS!? The next update will be a legitamate crime-scene investigation, though.))**

**((Talentless updates soon! Read, review, maybe even favorite!))**

**((-Ivy))**


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